


Strong for Too Long

by BlueShell



Category: Pocket Monsters SPECIAL | Pokemon Adventures, Pocket Monsters: Diamond & Pearl & Platinum | Pokemon Diamond Pearl Platinum Versions
Genre: AbsurdistShipping, Day 26, Especially for the Platinum chapter, I just felt those two needed to have a good cry, M/M, PokéSpe Ships Month, Spoilers for the Diamond/Pearl/Platinum chapter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-28
Updated: 2016-10-28
Packaged: 2018-08-27 11:23:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8399794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueShell/pseuds/BlueShell
Summary: He was wondering just what was happening when his tsukkomi opened the door and he was struck silent by the sight of red-rimmed eyes.





	

**Author's Note:**

> And so, after CommonerShipping and HaughtyShipping, comes the piece for AbsurdistShipping! I feel like this one is the worst out of the three, but I promised myself I’d write something for the three days of Diamond/Pearl/Platinum and I did. *evil, successful laughter*
> 
> Note 1: I wound up reading PokéSpe from a lot of different sources, and everyone translated the Pokémon names differently and I got used to different names. So, to clear things up: Lax is Dia’s Munchlax, Saruhiko is Pearl’s Infernape, and Perahiko is Pearl’s Chatot. 
> 
> Note 2: I thought those two needed a good cry after that close call in the Platinum chapter. So SPOILERS for the Platinum chapter!

He and Lax, by themselves, managed to dump all the contents of his bag on the hotel bed, but it was no use; the deodorant he liked just wasn’t there. 

It wasn’t a big thing; he’d just taken a shower and changed into clean clothes, so it wasn’t like he was going to stink. Except Diamond was tired – turns out going to the Distortion World takes the wind out of you, who knew? –, really, really tired, and if he wanted to last through the dinner with Pearl, the ojou-sama, and Pearl’s dad and the bodyguards, he needed all the psychological help he could get. If deodorant could make him feel fresher, then so be it. 

“Do you think Pearl knows where it is?” he asked Lax, who shrugged. Still, it was a good guess; when the two of them were traveling together, their things sometimes wound up in each other’s bags. 

He sighed, put on his hat over moist hair and called Lax to go with him to the next room over; Pearl was probably still getting ready too – he always took his time with these things, and he’d probably want to look sharp for all the important people they were having dinner with… 

“Pearl!” he called, he and Lax both knocking on the door. “Are you there?” 

He heard the shuffling of footsteps, some noise like something falling to the floor, a shout of “I’ll – I’ll be right over”, then silence and he was wondering just what was happening when his _tsukkomi_ opened the door and he was struck silent by the sight of red-rimmed eyes. 

“Dia,” Pearl said, his voice trembling with an unsteady smile. He was frantically rubbing his eyes, like he could somehow stop the tears from falling if he just shook himself hard enough. “I – Dia – what do you want?…” 

The last time he’d seen Pearl’s face like that, they were both five. It took a moment for Diamond to find his voice. “…I wanted to know if my deodorant is in your bag.” 

A strained laugh left his friend’s lips; the tears hadn’t stopped falling yet. “I – I don’t know – I guess you can check – I mean – come in—” 

The room was a little messy, a little unlike Pearl, and Dia’s heart seemed to skip several beats when he saw his _tsukkomi_ standing by the door, shivering in place. Perahiko and Saruhiko were on the bed, and looked as distraught and baffled as Diamond felt; he saw Lax join them and the three Pokémon started staring at him like they thought he could fix it. 

He decided to give it a try. 

“Pearl—” 

“You don’t – you don’t have to worry, you know”, Pearl cut in, voice still trembling. “I’m OK. I mean – I’m gonna be OK. This – this is so _stupid_ —”, and the tears increased, “I mean – this is so _stupid,_ why am I crying like this, it didn’t even – in the end you were – why won’t it _stop_ —” 

“It’s not stupid, _boke,_ ” Diamond said, and that managed to get a laugh out of his best friend, short and broken as it was. 

Pearl didn’t move as Dia approached, not even as Dia’s arms wrapped around him; his face kept contorting like he was still holding a dam falling apart and seeing him like this made Diamond’s eyes burn. 

“It’s a little scary to see you like this,” he commented, his hand rubbing circles on Pearl’s shoulder. “I’m so used to having you be strong, sometimes I forget you’re just a person like everyone else.” 

This drew a short sob that twisted his friend’s shoulders under his grip. 

“But you _are_ just a person, Pearl,” he said, “and it’s OK to hold on while everything is going down but it’s also OK to cry if you want to cry. I’m here now. …I’ve got you now.” 

Another short sob escaped; and another, and another, and Pearl buried his head in Diamond’s scarf and his arms closed around the brunet’s waist and he started to cry like he hadn’t cried in years. Soon his shoulder was soaked by every tear his _tsukkomi_ hadn’t let fall since they’d started journeying together, and, between the sobs, there were words: 

“Dia – I – I know I’m not – not the boss of you – but – please – _please_ – don’t ever do that to me _again…”_ and, in a very small voice: “I thought you were _dead…”_

The last word came out all squeaky – as if even imagining that reality was too much for Pearl to handle – and hearing that was what finally made Diamond’s own tears fall; he stifled his sobs against his friend’s green scarf, hugging him tighter because he knew how much of a blessing it was that they were still together in a world that hadn’t ended like it should. 

They wound up arriving twenty minutes late for dinner, faces fresh and wet from washing it with cold water. There were only a few questions asked, and only the ojou-sama seemed to notice the red around their eyes; but she didn’t say anything, not even when they held hands sitting side by side. 


End file.
